Controlling device for windmills



A. EGE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR WINDMILLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4,192].

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

amoewlio'c A. EGE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR WINDMILLS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, I921.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

amoawtoz UNITEii STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR WINIDMILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Application filed January 4, 1921. Serial No. 434,972.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALFRED Eon, a citizenof Norway, residing at Sioux Falls, in the county of Minnehaha and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Windmills; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved controlling device for a windmill and one ob ject of the invention is to provide a device so constructed that a windmill may be rendered inoperative when water in a reservoir tank reaches a predetermined level and the windmill then again rendered operative when the water in the tank has decreased in volume to a predetermined extent.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this device that it may be mounted adjacent the base of the windmill and connected with the pump rod and controlling wire of the mill thus permitting the mechanism to be operated by the pump rod and the controlling wire for the windmill drawn upon by being wound upon the drum. In the usual construction of a windmill, there is provided a pump rod which is connected with the pump at the base of the windmill and reciprocated by the windmill. The vane which is carried by a windmill is pivotally mounted and when it is desired to have the pump operate, the vane is left suspending axially of the wheel so that the wheel will be headed into the wind. When it is desired to render the windmill inoperative, a wire will be drawn downwardly to turn the vane radially of the wheel and this will cause the'wheel to be swerved as the vane is swung by the wind and the wheel will be prevented from rotating. As will be hereinafter brought out, it is desired by this invention to provide a drum which is movable into and out of operative relation to the operating means connected with the reciprocating pump rod of the mill thus permitting the mill to furnish power for winding the wire upon the drum to turn the vane and render the mill inoperative, the drum being moved into and out of an operative position by shifting means moved through the medium of mechanism controlled by a float in the reservoir tank. I

This improved device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

F1gure l is a top plan view of the improved device.

Flg. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sec tional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

This device will be preferably mounted at the base of the windmill tower adjacent the pump 1 and is provided with supporting bars 2 which extend beneath the reservoir tank 3 and are provided with upturned end portions forming standards 4, the standards 4 carrying arms 5 and 6 which extend toward the pump. The arms 6 are connected with the pump by a clamp 7 and the arms 5 form a portion of a yoke, the head 8 of which engages the pump and is connected therewith by clamps 9. y

In order to draw upon the wire 10 which extends up through the windmill tower and is used for turning the vane to render the mill inoperative, there has been provided a drum 11' which fits loosely upon a shaft or axle 12 and is provided at one end with clutch teeth 13 adapted to engage cooperating clutch teeth formed upon the hub 14: of a ratchet wheel 15 rigid upon this shaft or axle 12. This shaft or axle 12 will thus be rotated when the ratchet wheel 15 is turning and the drum will be rotated when moved to bring its clutch teeth into operative engagement with the clutch teeth of the ratchet wheel. A rocker arm 16 is loosely mounted upon the shaft12 and is loosely connected with a pitman bar .17 which will be connected with'the pump rod which reciprocates vertically in the tower and operates the pump. This rocker arm 16 carries a pawl 18 for engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel and imparting rotary movement to the ratchet wheel and a second pawl or latch 19 is mounted upon one of the arms 4 and engages the ratchet wheel so that the ratchet wheel may be prevented from rotating in a reverse direction. Itwill thus be seen that when the pump is in operation and the pitman l7 reeiprocated by the pump rod of the mill, rotary movement will be imparted to the ratchet wheel 15 and as soon as the drum is moved into'engagement with the hub of the ratchet wheel, the drum will be rotated and the wire wound upon the drum thus turning the vane oi the windmill to render the windmill inoperative. mill will then discontinue to operate and rotary movement of the ratchet wheel and drum will be discontinued.

It is desired to have thedrum move to render the mill operative or inoperative according to the level of the water in the tank or reservoir 3 and in order to do so, there has been provided a float 20 which is positioned in the tank and will be raised or lowered according to the level of the water.

This float is provided with a standard 21' which extends upwardly through the tank and carries aside arm 22 which is connected '28 will'engage the striker bar and impart swinging movement to the same. It will thus be seen that movement of thestriker bar, is controlledby' rotation of the disk and this disk is rotated through the medium otthe rack bar, the direction in which the float is moving controlling the direction in which the disk rotates. v

In order to shift the drum from the inoperative to the operative position and return the drum to the inoperative position, there has been provided a drum shifting device havinga rocker'sleeve 29 which is rotatably mounted upon a spindle 30 carried by a supporting arm or bracket 31. A collar 32 is mounted upon the drum and provided with side pins 33 engaged by the forks 3a of the sleeve so that when the sleeve is rotated, the drum will be moved longitudinally. A handle or turning arm 35 extends from this rocker sleeve into the path of movement of the striker arm where it may be engaged by Y the striker'arm andthe sleeve thus rotated to impart longitudinal sliding movement to the drum. I 7

When this device is in operation, the pitman rod 17 .reciprocates and the pawl 18 turns the ratchet wheel 15. As the reservoirtank 3 fills, the float moves upwardlyand when the abutment pin 28 engages the weighted end portion of the striker, the striker will be swung until the weighted end teeth thereof into operative engagement with the clutch teeth of the ratchet wheel.

The

The drum will then be rotated until the wire 10 has been wound upon the drum a suflicient amount to draw uponthe wire and throw he windmill out of operation.

-When the water in the reservoir decreases in volume, the gear or disk 25 will be rotated in an oppositedirection to its previous location and as the abutment pin moves downwardly, it will engagethe unweighted end portion of the striker bar and move the striker bar until the weight passes the upper dead center. The striker bar will then turn upon its pivot and the unweighted end portion will strike the lever. handle 35 thus turning the rocker sleeve and moving the drum to bring the clutch teeth out of engagement.

in the reservoir reaches a predetermined level and the windmill may then be returned to the operative position when the waterrhasi decreased a predetermined extent.

I claim: 1. In a pump operating structure, a water tank, a float in said tank, a slidably mounted rack connected with said float-and moving with the float, a rotatably and slidably' This will release the drum and i the wire can then move upwardly to, permit mounted drum having-a clutch element'at one end, a rotatably mounted driving ele-.

ment having a clutch element. for engage-H ment by the clutch elementrofisaid drum,

a gear rotatably' mounted and meshing with; said rack, means to be actuated from a pump: operating mechanism, operatively associated with the driving element for impartingro tary movement to'the same whenthe pump is in operation, a flexiblecontrol element for the pump operating mechanism wound upon said drum, and means to slide the drum longitudinallycomprising a rocker sleeve, forks extending from the sleeve and engaging the drum, a lever armextendingffrom the sleeve, a striker bar pivotally mounted and having one end portion weighted and extending for engaging the lever arm,and--a pm extending from said gear forengaging the unweighted end portion of said striker bar.

having one end portion weighted, anabutment extending from the gear for engaging the striker bar and swinging the bar upon. its pivot, a rotatably and slidably mounted-- winding drum having clutch teeth at one end, a ratchet wheel having'clutch teeth for engagement by the teeth-of said; drum, arocker arm, a rod for connection with a.

pump rod pivotally connected with" said:

rocker arm, a pawl carried by said rod and engaging said ratchet wheel, and means for shifting said drum longitudinally comprising a rocker sleeve, forks extending from said sleeve and engaging the drum, and a lever arm extending from the sleeve for en gagement by said striker bar.

3. In a pump operating and controlling structure, a tank, a float in said tank, a winding drum rotatably and slidably mounted, a rotatably mounted driving wheel, means for imparting rotary movement to the driving Wheel adapted for operative connection with a pump rod, cooperating clutch elements carried by said drum and driving wheel, a striker means for shifting the drum longitudinally including an actuating handle extending for engagement by said striker, and means actuated from said float for impart ing movement to said striker.

4. In a pump operating and controlling structure, a tank, a float in said tank, a rotatably and slidably mounted drum, a driving wheel for said drum, cooperating clutch elements carried by the drum and wheel, op-

erating means for rotating said wheel adapted for connection with a pump rod, a shift ing element for moving the drum into and out of engagement with the wheel including an operating handle, a pivotally mounted striker for engaging said handle, a rotatably mounted disk having an extension for engaging said striker and imparting movement to the same, and means moving with said float and imparting rotary movement to said disk as the float moves.

5. In a pump operating and controlling structure, a tank, a float in said tank, control wire tightening means including actuating means adapted for connection with a pump rod, a relatively stationary clutch element and a relatively movable clutch element, shifting means for the movable clutch element including a handle, a striker for engaging the handle and imparting movement to said shifting means, and means actuated from said float for imparting movement to said striker.

6. In a pump operating and controlling my hand.

ALFRED EGE. 

